Games and social networking are not the only primary preoccupations in the World Wide Web.
Nowadays, monetary transactions, online banking and shopping also top the list.
Customers prefer to buy their goods online because of a faster and more convenient payment method.
Online banking service also appeals more to users instead of waiting in line in actual banks.
Because of this thriving online activity, a major concern now for the IT industry has been Internet security.
Internet security is basically concerned with protecting internet accounts, profile and the confidential information included in it from unknown and unauthorized users.
Three main issues concern Internet security: confidentiality, availability and integrity.
Most online services require important and confidential information from the user that only he or she knows.
The server then authenticates the entered credentials and verifies it with the stored credentials.
Upon verification, online transactions may then be carried forward.
Entering credit card account numbers to pay online is an example of this process.
These confidential pieces of information are very vulnerable to risks whenever entered online.
Users may be susceptible to Identity theft threats especially when not equipped with ample online security.
Hackers and other cyber criminals are always on the go, stealing whatever crucial information they can find.
This is then where Internet security comes in.
Internet security has the challenge to keep user information safe and confidential.
Confidentiality in internet security is all about maintaining information to be inaccessible.
This is usually possible through firewalls and anti-spyware programs.
Integrity on the other hand deals with maintaining user information intact.
This is an important aspect in internet security because should crisis like identity theft arise, it is easier to verify information from a database.
The website then becomes more credible and trustworthy to users.
Availability is concerned with making the information available to the user.
This is also important to assure the users the credibility of an online site.
It implies that the websites they are giving confidential information to are not bogus.
All three of these aspects are equally important to keep information safe from hackers and identity thieves.
As previously said, it can all be made possible through the use of anti-virus programs, anti-spyware programs and firewalls.
Many of these internet security software are available in the market.
They offer services such as scanning hard drives for viruses and blocking hazardous websites.
Most anti-virus companies offer free trials for their software for a limited of period of time to test which one suits their preferences best.
Some of these companies are Grisoft which offers free AVG software trials, and McAfee.
While these software along with the maintenance of webmasters and online site crews help avoid threats, the best guarantee for internet security is to disconnect from the internet.
However, this may not be a feasible option nowadays as most of the transactions are already taking place online.
At present, it is almost impossible not to connect to the internet.
In this case, it is the user's responsibility to carefully select the information he or she is giving out.